


i'll be there (holding your hand)

by BloodRaven55



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon Compliant, DON'T READ IT UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN THE FIRST EPISODE OF VOLUME 7, F/F, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, One Shot, THIS IS SET AFTER V7C1, and there's also some, idk what counts as heavy lmao, it's painful but not like anything /too/ awful, oh and massive warning, okay good now no one yell at me in the comments for spoiling you, so don't worry too much, well pretty heavy?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 23:30:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21310411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodRaven55/pseuds/BloodRaven55
Summary: Blake leaned back in the distinctly uncomfortable chair, letting the sensation of the cold metal against her bare arms ground her and clear her thoughts. Her fingers drummed rhythmically against the surface of the table as she stared down the Atlesian operative sitting across from her. They’d been here for almost an hour in dead silence so far, and she was more than ready to go the rest of the day without talking as well.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 24
Kudos: 253





	i'll be there (holding your hand)

**Author's Note:**

> So this was inspired by various posts on Tumblr and many discussions with my friends so that's what you can blame for these feels.
> 
> Anyway... enjoy!

Blake leaned back in the distinctly uncomfortable chair, letting the sensation of the cold metal against her bare arms ground her and clear her thoughts. Her fingers drummed rhythmically against the surface of the table as she stared down the Atlesian operative sitting across from her. They’d been here for almost an hour in dead silence so far, and she was more than ready to go the rest of the day without talking as well.

She knew how this worked. She’d been in a room just like this one several times already in her life, and she still remembered every piece of advice her parents and Sienna had given her. She was more than confident that she would get through this in one piece—more or less anyway—and she only hoped the same was true of her friends. Worrying about them now would only distract her, though, and she returned her attention to the man across from her, keeping her expression perfectly neutral as she raised an eyebrow just a fraction in a wordless challenge.

It took an impressive several minutes, but eventually he snapped, accepting the defeat of being the first one to speak. “So, Blake,” he started, his voice far too soft and gentle. “My name is Clover. Clover Ebi. And I know it might not seem like it at the moment, but I want to help you.”

The excessively nice tone of voice, almost wheedling with how sickeningly sweet it was, reminded her of the way Adam would talk to her after he’d called her a coward— the way he would try to apologise after the damage had already been done. She needed to be careful here, and she managed not to let the unease settling in her gut show on her face.

“Really?” she said, a flat monotone that gave nothing away. “Is that why you arrested us? Separated me from my friends? Refused to listen to a word any of us said?”

“That’s not how it happ—”

Blake cut across him before he could finish the lie. “That’s exactly how it happened and you know it. We had a licensed Huntsman with us and you didn’t even give him a chance to show you his license or explain why we’re here. Maybe it’s just me, but those don’t exactly seem like the actions of someone whose main priority is justice.”

“I don’t care about you being a Faunus, if that’s what you think. I even have one on my team. You don’t need to worry about that.”

It was the last card he had to play, but also the most obvious, and there was no way she was going to fall for it. “You really think I’m that dumb? I’ve met countless other people like you who think making nice with one of us means they aren’t just as racist as anyone else in this city. What’s your excuse? Let me guess, if we work with you that somehow makes us ‘different’ to the ‘filthy animals’ who you keep practically enslaved in the mines.”

She could see the flicker of frustration on his face as he realised that this approach was getting him nowhere, and just as she expected he quickly changed tactics. “You’re a Belladonna, correct? I’ve heard things, you know. About your family’s involvement with the White Fang. Maybe I should run your name through our system, see if anything interesting comes up.”

“You can do whatever you want,” she said, casual and nonchalant, crossing her arms and averting her eyes in a gesture of pure disinterest.

It was a gamble since she was sure there must be a rap sheet under her name somewhere in their records, but the odds were that he was bluffing, and her best chance at gaining the upper hand was to act as though she had nothing to hide. Sure enough, he backed down, and she breathed an internal sigh of relief until his mouth curled into a faint smile, telling her that she’d made the wrong choice.

“‘Whatever I want’, huh? In that case, you won’t mind if I have a little chat with one of your friends.”

For the first time since she’d sat down Blake felt genuine panic rise in her gut, and it took a monumental effort to keep it from showing on her face.

“Maybe I’ll have better luck with one of them,” he continued. “Since you’re determined to be so uncooperative. They might be more open to being… _persuaded_ to talk.”

The threat was clear, but Blake drew in a deep breath, reminding herself that he was just trying to get inside her head. There was no way he could know exactly how close she was with any of the others, and this was his last ditch attempt at getting her to open up of her own volition. Right now they were still only being detained for questioning, and there was no way he would actually go as far as torturing someone who hadn’t even been charged with a crime yet. Was there?

She shrugged, feigning total boredom with the conversation. “Like I said, you can do whatever you like.”

“Are you sure that’s all you have to say? Well, if you’re sure then I guess we’re done here. Maybe I’ll go and see how the blonde one is getting on with my colleague. You know, the pretty girl with the fancy arm? Atlas property if I’m not mistaken. I’m sure General Ironwood will be _so_ pleased that she’s been using the gift he so generously gave her to wreak havoc in his Kingdom.”

The fear bubbling in her veins boiled over, turning into seething rage. In an instant she was on her feet, the hand that wasn’t cuffed to the chair slamming onto the table as she leaned forward sharply. “You stay the _hell_ away from her.”

He sat back and crossed his legs, expression triumphant, and Blake sank weakly into her chair again as she realised she’d given him exactly what he wanted— a weakness to exploit.

“Oh, so you _do_ care?”

_Shit._

The all-consuming anger she’d felt moments before was gone, replaced by an ice cold numbness seeping into her bones.

* * *

_Blake couldn’t help shooting the occasional glance at Yang as they were escorted out of the truck into a military compound. The whole journey there she’d been able to tell that her partner was stressed. It was obvious from the way Yang had kept her eyes fixed firmly to the ground—from the way Yang’s foot had been tapping rhythmically against the floor as she fidgeted—and Blake had known her more than long enough to pick up on it._

_She didn’t want to antagonise the situation by moving out of line so that she could get a good look at her partner’s face, but she felt her ears flatten against her head as she looked down to see that Yang’s hand was shaking, and she felt the need to do something. She remembered how scared Yang had been the first time she’d been put in this situation, back during the Vytal Tournament, and she knew it couldn’t be easy for her partner to be going through it again._

_As casually as possible, she reached out to brush their hands together, careful not to linger long enough to make it seem too deliberate but just enough to remind Yang that she wasn’t alone. A few moments later she heard her partner let out a shaky sigh, and to Blake’s relief Yang’s hand began to tremble less noticeably._

_But of course, that only lasted until they finally reached their destination, and their captors started directing them into separate interrogation rooms. Yang didn’t say anything, but the sheer panic in her eyes when she realised that they wouldn’t be together for this had Blake’s heart cracking in two. If she was honest, the prospect of facing an interrogation without her partner terrified her as well, and she wished that she could take Yang’s hand in a final gesture of reassurance when it came their turn to be guided to different ends of the corridor._

_But that would be offering up a vulnerability that could be used against them, and she did the only thing she could instead, holding eye contact until the last possible moment and hoping it was enough to convince Yang—convince herself—that everything was going to be alright._

* * *

Yang’s foot tapped against the floor time and time again, a nervous tick that she didn’t have the peace of mind to control right now. She tried to focus on her breathing, knowing that if she could just slow the rapid pounding of her heart then the world wouldn’t feel like it was spinning around her. She jerked to attention as the door opened, looking up at the man who was going to be questioning her.

“You’re wasting your time,” she insisted, pleased that her voice only wavered slightly. “I’ve got nothing to say.”

“Then how about I do the talking,” he fired back smoothly, taking his seat and regarding her so calmly that it only worsened the anxiety tangling in her chest. “Should we start with the incident during the Vytal Tournament?”

She swallowed hard, forcing down the urge to answer. _He’s just trying to scare you, he’s just trying to scare you, he’s just trying to sca—_

“Or how about the fact that you’re travelling with Weiss Schnee? I’m certain that her father will be delighted to have her returned to him.”

It required every ounce of willpower she possessed, but Yang remained stubbornly silent. Even though it went against every instinct she had to hold her tongue, she refused to be the one to break— the one to crack first and take everyone else down with her.

“Hmm. Or what about Blake Belladonna? Did you know she used to be a member of the White Fang? There must be a dozen crimes on her record at least, more than enough to send her to the min—”

“No.” The words were flooded out before Yang had even made a conscious decision to talk, and she felt her eyes sting as she processed what he was saying. “No, you _can’t._ You wouldn’t—”

He nodded. “You’re right— I wouldn’t. As long as you answer my questions like a good girl.”

Her hands curled into fists, her nails digging into her palm so hard that it drew blood. The effort of suppressing the white-hot fury that was coursing through every inch of her body was monumental, but holding back the tears that were on the verge of spilling over was even harder. She wanted to punch him right in his stupid arrogant face and curl into a ball and cry all at the same time, yet neither would do anything to help her or anyone else.

She could feel herself spiralling, every worst case scenario that could possibly happen already coming true inside her head, and most of all she just wanted Blake. Maybe she was being pathetic, but she could handle everything else if she just had her partner there beside her— if she could just hold Blake’s hand so that her own would stop fucking _shaking._

She forced herself to take one deep breath after another. In and out, in and out, in and out, until the tightness in her chest no longer felt like it was tearing her apart from the inside. Her left hand was still trembling, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fall to pieces any more than she already had.

“You’ll pay for this, you bastard,” was all she said, low and rough through gritted teeth.

“We’ll see, Miss Xiao Long. We’ll see.”

* * *

In the end Ironwood bailed them out, but not before all of them had come close to their breaking point. None of them trusted the sudden reprieve, but they also weren’t in a position to look a gift horse in the mouth, so they accepted it graciously albeit warily, and Blake was left rubbing at her wrist as she waited for the others outside the facility, trying to forget how the steel of the restraint had felt against her skin.

“_Blake!_”

Her ears perked up immediately, recognising the voice even before her mind did, and no sooner had she turned to face the sound then her partner was barrelling into her, nearly knocking her off her feet as she clung to her desperately. Blake didn’t hesitate to wrap her own arms around Yang once she was sure they weren’t going to fall over, returning the embrace just as forcefully as her heart was overwhelmed by warmth.

Yang nuzzled into her neck, and Blake could feel her partner’s tears against her skin, the way Yang’s whole body was shaking with the force of her sobs. The interrogation, the forced separation, the knowledge of what her partner must have gone through without her— Blake realised that she was crying as well, and she held Yang even tighter, burying her nose in her partner’s hair and breathing in the familiar and comforting scent of citrus.

Even when their tears dried and Yang pulled back to press their foreheads together instead, neither of them seemed inclined to let go of each other. Blake reached up to cup Yang’s face, needing to feel warm skin under her palm to reassure herself that she was actually real and there, and she felt her heart flutter when Yang closed her eyes at the touch, leaning into her hand.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, repeating the words like a mantra to remind them both that they were true. “We’re here. We’re okay.”

“I know,” Yang said, breath warm against Blake’s lips as their noses brushed together. “I know.”

A loud cough interrupted them, and Blake looked over Yang’s shoulder to find the rest of the group watching them with expressions ranging from confusion to amusement to irritation. They sheepishly broke apart, though admittedly not too far since neither of them could stand having too much distance between them right now, and Blake contented herself with holding Yang’s hand as they followed their friends out onto the streets of Atlas.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you like as any feedback except for non-constructive criticism is more than welcome and I'll see you all soon :)


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